1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to electrical charging systems and, more particularly, to systems for generating the electrical power required to charge storage batteries.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past the need for replacing storage batteries has presented problems in convenience, planning and cost. These problems were especially important for the batteries used in portable electronic and electrical equipment. For example, the batteries used in electric watches, portable radios, and hearing aids heretofore required frequent replacement. This replacement often was annoying to the owner because of the length of time the equipment was out of service and the high replacement cost of the batteries.
In the watch industry there has been a continuing search for a power source that can make electronic watches as maintenance free as self-winding watches. The industry has been looking for a system that will permit electronic watches to operate indefinitely.
Recently, there has developed a particular problem in the electronic watch industry. Digital watches have become fashionable and some are equipped with light emitting diodes. These diodes draw more current than conventional electronic watch circuits and often the batteries in these watches require replacement every three or four months. At the present time none of the electronic watch circuits are equipped with battery charging systems, and the watch batteries must be replaced each time the battery is discharged.
The present invention incorporates the well known physical principle that electrical energy can be generated from mechanical motion by mechanically alternating the capacitances of a plurality of capacitors. This principle, however, has never been successfully applied to battery charging systems because the output from these previous systems was too unsymmetrical. Although current was generated in these older systems, the systems could not be adapted to efficiently generate useable AC power.